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Our 

Public 

Library 

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jomn  a.  HAcina, 

-Somerville, 

i'lass. 


TRUSTEES 


Charles  S.  Lincoln,  President. 
J.  Henry  Flitner. 

Christopher  E.  Rymes. 
Charles  H.  Brown. 

Elijah  C.  Clark. 

John  B.  Viall. 

Charles  A.  West. 

J.  Frank  Wellington. 

Charles  W.  Sawyer. 

John  S.  Hayes,  Secretary. 


LIBRARY  STAFF. 


LIBRARIAN. 

John  S.  Hayes. 

ASST.  LIBRARIAN. 

Clara  L.  Bidwell. 

ASSISTANTS. 

Anna  L.  Stone. 

Mary  J.  Warren. 

CATALOGUER. 

F.  Mabel  Norcross. 

ATTENDANTS. 

Esther  M.  Mayhew. 
Charles  F.  Cuddy. 

JANITOR. 

Charles  A.  Southwick. 


S6i9  (ds 


C.  S.  LINCOLN, 
President  of  Board  of  Trustees. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/souvenirourpubliOOhaye 


PUBLIC  LIBRARY  BUILDING 


eyR  pyBLie  library. 


Charles  Lamb,  referring  to  a certain  book  highly  prized 
by  him,  wrote  these  words,  — “ No  casket  is  rich  enough, 
no  casing  sufficiently  durable,  to  house  and  keep  safe 
such  a jewel.” 

Some  such  notion  must  have  influenced  those  who,  in 
our  New  England,  labored  so  wisely  and  persistently  to 
guard  and  guide  the  public  intelligence.  What  Charles 
Lamb  would  limit  to  a book,  our  fathers  applied  to  the 
individual  and  public  brain.  The  spirit  which  claimed 
liberty  as  the  atmosphere  of  public  life,  which  dedicated 
state  and  church  to  a broad  and  luminous  freedom, 
sprung  immediately  from  the  thoughtfully  active  brain 
of  the  people.  I do  not  neglect  the  power  of  conscience 
in  this  matter,  but  conscience  displaying  itself  in  moral 
obligation  was  quickened  and  developed  by  the  habitual 
thoughtfulness  which  was  so  manifestly  the  habit  of 
personal  and  social  life.  Of  course,  the  peculiar  condi- 
tions of  such  life  evoked  such  thoughtfulness,  yet  we 
must  not  neglect  the  careful  study  of  principle,  and  the 
sturdy  application  of  principle  to  conduct. 

It  is  a fact  worthy  of  comment,  that  no  sooner  had  a 
New  England  community  begun  its  active  life,  than  it 
began  its  intellectual  life.  The  spade  of  the  pioneer 
turned  the  soil  for  a harvest  of  corn.  The  pioneer  was  a 


plowshare  turning  up  the  soil  of  the  mind  to  the  warmth 
and  radiance  of  culture  and  thought,  that  a harvest  of 
fulfilled  purpose  might  be  gathered  from  the  common 
intelligence  of  the  people. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  century  a traveler  observed  of 
New  England:  “It  is  hardly  possible  to  conceive  the 
numbers  of  readers  with  which  every  little  town  abounds. 
The  common  people  are  on  a footing  in  point  of  litera- 
ture with  the  middle  ranks  of  Europe.”  This  was  un- 
doubtedly true,  and  the  statement  made  contains  the 
explanation  of  the  fact:  “ numbers  of  readers  ” supposes 
numbers  of  books. 

It  is  a matter  deserving  our  admiration,  as  we  look 
back,  that  such  vigorous  efforts  were  made  to  gather 
books  and  to  study  books.  Libraries  were  early  re- 
garded as  important  helps  to  the  virtue  and  intelligence 
of  the  people.  New  England  thrift  is  notable,  but  New 
England  thrift  never  starved  New  England  brain.  It  is 
worthy  of  our  attention  that  when  new  communities  went 
out  from  the  older  states  that  schoolhouses  and  libraries 
were  established  long  before  the  log  houses  disappeared. 
“The  mother  of  all  North  American  subscription  libra- 
ries ” was  that  one  founded  in  Philadelphia,  by  Dr. 
Franklin,  in  1731.  We  have  in  our  state  a town  which 
still  retains  something  of  the  vigorous  logic  and  studious 
veracity  of  thought  which  has  had  expression  in  the  past. 
That  town  was  named  after  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  in 
1 736  gave  one  hundred  and  sixteen  volumes  to  that 
thriving  community,  who  gratefully  assumed  his  name. 

The  social  library  and  the  school  library  soon  de- 
veloped into  the  public  library.  When  in  1847  Rev. 
Francis  Wayland  gave  a town  in  Massachusetts  five 
hundred  dollars  “ on  condition  that  its  citizens  should 
secure  an  equal  amount  for  a town  library,”  he  started  a 


VIEW  IN  DELIVERY  ROOM. 


movement  which  resulted  in  the  enactment  of  a law,  in 
1851,  authorizing  cities  and  towns  to  establish  and  main- 
tain public  libraries,  and  which  has  led  to  such  added 
facilities  in  the  procuring  and  use  of  books  that  only 
within  this  year,  a popular  newspaper,  the  Boston  Globe, 
January  31st,  stated  in  an  editorial,  only  too  short,  that 
“there  are  only  twenty-four  towns  in  Massachusetts 
which  do  not  possess  a public  library.”  It  is  not  sur- 
prising that  the  article  closes  with  the  assertion  that 
libraries  “do  an  incalculable  good.” 

“Consider,”  says  Emerson  in  his  essay  on  books,  “what 
you  have  in  the  smallest  chosen  library.  A company  of 
the  wisest  and  wittiest  men  that  could  be  picked  out  of 
all  civilized  countries,  in  a thousand  years,  have  set  in  best 
order  the  results  of  their  learning  and  wisdom.  The  men 
themselves  were  hid  and  inaccessible,  solitary,  impatient 
of  interruption,  fenced  by  etiquette,  but  the  thought 
which  they  did  not  uncover  to  their  bosom  friend  is  here 
written  out  to  us,  the  strangers  of  another  age.” 

I ask  you  if  all  this  be  not  worthy  of  our  careful  heed  ? 
Do  we  not  in  our  own  public  library  come  into  the  in- 
heritance of  the  accumulated  thought  of  the  ages?  The 
alphabet  of  the  world’s  intelligence  was  printed  on  the 
bricks  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon.  That  alphabet  helped 
to  win  the  civilization  which  floated  on  the  freshets  of  the 
Nile,  and  which  has  been  borne  out  past  its  delta  with  a 
wider  reach  of  light  than  ever  shone  from  the  Pharos  — 
until  London  was  built  out  of  the  mud  of  the  Thames^ 
and  the  foundation  of  this  Imperial  Republic  was  laid,, 
with  Plymouth  Rock  for  a corner-stone. 

There  may  not  be  much  in  the  history  of  our  public 
library  to  startle  the  fancy  or  call  for  special  attention. 
But  of  it  one  thing  can  be  said  — it  began!  Its  present 
condition  and  fruitful  promise  we  have  from  a germ 


which  was  fructified  and  grew.  The  evolution  of  that 
germ  may  not  be  traceable.  Carlyle  tells  us  in  “ Sartor  Re- 
sartus  ” that  a solution  held  in  quiescence  may  not  indicate 
any  special  possession.  But  if  it  be  disturbed  by  a hair 
or  thread,  crystals  will  gather,  and  forms  of  beauty  be 
chiseled  into  shapes  by  the  mysterious  and  unseen  power 
of  nature.  It  is  a fact  that  subsequent  to  the  formation 
of  a public  library,  the  need  of  it  had  become  sensibly 
felt  by  many  who  not  only  desired  their  own  advance- 
ment, but  the  good  of  their  neighbors  and  friends.  For 
many  years  there  were  times  of  expectancy,  hints  of  life 
here  and  there,  undefined  hopes,  and  irrepressible  long- 
ings. Doubtless  some  were  agitated  with  hopes  that 
mocked  at  fears,  and  doubtless  others  felt  their  fears  like 
a deluge  which  must  submerge  all  things  and  founder 
every  ark.  Some  such  experience  has  been  repeated  over 
and  over  again.  But  grains  of  sand  make  the  mountains 
possible,  and  drops  of  water  refresh  and  fill  the  greatness 
of  the  ocean,  and  give  power  to  the  tidal  pulses  of  its 
heart.  So  the  time  waited  until  flakes  of  snow  builded 
the  avalanche,  until  a child’s  breath  launched  it  on  its 
terrible  course  of  destruction  down  the  mountain  into  the 
valley.  So  the  time  waited  until  the  pent-up  wrath  of  the 
earth  accumulated,  until  “the  earthquake  smacked  its 
mumbling  lips  over  the  ruined  city.”  So  the  time  waited 
until  the  poverty-stricken  miner’s  son  nailed  his  thesis 
on  the  gates  of  Wittenberg,  and  the  finger  of  God’s  provi- 
dence, whether  for  weal  or  woe,  wrote  the  name  of  Luther 
across  the  firmament  of  space. 

Is  it  a reductio  ad  absurdum  to  come  in  this  way  to  our 
public  library  ? Remember  it  is  the  dust  of  the  earth 
that  makes  possible  the  blue  of  the  sky.  Remember  that 
the  upturned  stones,  weighing  more  than  two  hundred 
pounds  apiece,  paving  a road  outside  of  London,  were 


PART  OF  READING  ROOM, 


upturned  as  the  result  of  a fungus  growth  beneath  the 
stones,  that,  despite  its  delicate  growth  and  feeble  strength, 
could  add  much  to  much  till  the  work  was  done.  There 
is  nothing  trivial.  What  we  call  trifles  may  be  the  pivot 
on  which  destiny  is  balanced. 

The  years  passed.  An  association  for  direct  educa- 
tional and  instructive  influence  was  formed  of  those 
whose  personal  relations  to  the  public  school  made  it 
well-nigh  inevitable  that,  sooner  or  later,  the  public  li- 
brary, so  immediately  in  touch  with  the  public  school  and 
the  intellectual  advance  of  the  public  at  large,  should  be 
under  consideration.  The  president  of  that  association, 
known  as  the  Somerville  High  School  Association,  was 
Edward  E.  Edgerly.  Doubtless  he  would  have  furthered 
the  purpose  of  creating  a library,  a purpose  very  dear  to 
his  heart,  if  a debilitated  body,  issuing  in  death,  had  not 
prevented.  The  plans  he  hoped  to  mature  were  taken  in 
hand,  however,  by  one  whose  intimate  association  with 
Mr.  Edgerly  made  it  fitting  that  he  should  succeed  to 
ideas  which  he  had  hoped  to  materialize.  This  associate 
was  Henry  M.  Brown,  who  has  the  honor  of  taking  the 
first  active  measures  towards  the  establishment  of  the 
library. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  follow  the  history  of  the  en- 
terprise in  detail,  unless  much  larger  space  were  given 
than  this  paper  can  command.  It  is  sufficient  for  our 
present  purpose  to  say  that  a committee  of  the  association 
above  named  met  a committee  of  the  board  of  selectmen, 
Somerville  then  being  a town,  and  on  April  29,  1871,  a 
plan  was  proposed  which,  while  it  did  not  approve  itself 
to  the  citizens  in  town  meeting  assembled,  resulted  in  a 
vote  to  the  effect  “ that  a free  public  library  be  estab- 
lished.” This  was  so  far  satisfactory  that  a board  of 
trustees  was  organized  November  14,  1872,  and  on 


November  19  Mr.  Isaac  Pitman  was  chosen  librarian. 
The  May  following  a public  library  was  opened  in  a room 
in  the  City  Hall,  now  occupied  by  the  assessors,  with 
2,384  volumes  on  its  shelves.  Since  then  what  large  in- 
crease has  been  made ! 

The  services  of  the  first  librarian  were  rendered  gra- 
tuitously for  a term  of  two  years.  Then  he  resigned,  and 
his  able  assistant,  Miss  Harriet  A.  Adams,  was  called  ta 
his  post.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  anything  of  her  effi- 
cient services  for  nineteen  years.  July  1st,  1893,  the 
present  librarian  assumed  the  duties  of  his  office. 

The  interest  taken  in  the  library  since  its  beginning  is 
indicated  by  the  following  brief  citation  of  facts. 

In  1873,  as  has  been  already  stated,  the  number  of 
volumes  in  the  library  was  2,384.  To  quite  a consider- 
able extent,  private  individuals  donated  books,  and  made 
the  number  stated  possible.  The  circulation  this  year 
was  18,047  volumes.  Two  years  later,  that  is  in  1875,. 
there  were  5,235  books  in  the  library,  and  the  circulation 
was  39,025.  In  1880,  8,614  books,  67,894  circulation 
in  1885,  12,788  books,  65,450  circulation;  in  1890,  20,112 
books,  95,127  circulation;  and  in  1894,  27,729  books, 
with  a circulation  of  106,341.  The  total  number  of 
books  placed  in  the  library  up  to  the  present  time  is 
32,555,  and  the  total  circulation  up  to  January  1st  last 
has  been  1,610,261. 

The  aggregate  appropriations  from  the  city  during  the 
past  twenty-three  years  for  the  support  of  the  library, 
including  the  dog  tax,  have  been  $100,849.05. 

The  present  library  building  cost  $28,338.45,  exclusive 
of  the  land,  and  $5,967.50  have  been  expended  in  altera- 
tions and  repairs. 

The  benefits  of  the  library  cannot  be  reckoned  in  coin  ;. 
expressed  in  figures,  nor  described  with  the  pen. 


VIEW  IN  LIBRARIAN’S  ROOM. 


The  present  library  building  was  erected  in  1884-5,  and 
dedicated  September  29,  1885,  and  principal  address 
on  that  occasion  was  made  by  Justin  Winsor,  librarian  of 
Harvard  College. 

The  marked  increase  in  the  number  of  books  made  it 
imperative  that  either  an  addition  should  be  made  to  the 
library  building  or  that  a change  should  be  made  in  its 
book  shelving  capacity.  After  very  careful  considerations 
of  the  needs  and  the  cost,  it  was  determined  that  a new 
method  of  shelving  should  be  made  practicable  and  addi- 
tional use  made  of  the  book-storing  space.  This  has  been 
done,  and  to-day  the  library  building  can  accommodate 
sixty  thousand  volumes,  so  classified  that  the  usefulness 
of  the  library  is  more  than  quadrupled. 

We  have  purposely  refrained  from  making  statements 
which  the  published  reports  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  public  library  include,  and  also  in  cataloguing  the 
names  of  those,  eminent  in  public  service,  who  have 
aided  so  greatly  in  bringing  the  library  to  its  present 
efficient  condition. 

It  remains  only  to  be  said  that  every  effort  has  been 
made  and  will  be  made  to  make  “our  public  library” 
helpful  to  the  best  interests  of  the  city.  Ruskin  says, 
“Valuable  books  should,  in  a civilized  country,  be  within 
the  reach  of  every  one.”  We  cannot  boast  that  all  valu- 
able books  are  in  our  public  library,  but  after  a careful 
examination,  no  one  will  dispute  that  from  the  first  a most 
discriminating  care  has  been  exercised  in  the  selection  of 
books,  and  that  for  practical  usefulness  up  to  the  present 
time,  considering  the  facilities  and  resources  at  command, 
our  public  library,  if  not  unsurpassed,  stands  among  those 
most  deserving  public  commendation. 

It  is  evident  that  the  effort  has  been  made  to  make  the 
library,  not  the  end  of  thought,  but  the  incentive  to  thought, 


remembering  that  the  thoughts  that  are  already  thought 
out  for  us  are  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  thoughts 
that  make  us  think.  Nor  is  this  all.  The  tastes  of  all 
have  been,  so  far  as  was  possible,  consulted.  Not  only  is 
the  reader  invited  to  measure  mountain  ranges  of  thought 
by  a system  of  intellectual  triangulation ; or  to  read 
works  which,  as  Charles  Lamb  lovingly  says  of  Milton, 
require  “ a solemn  service  of  music  to  be  played  before 
you  enter  upon  him,”  but  the  delights  of  poetry  and  the 
ministry  of  the  imagination  have  been  opened  to  the 
young  and  the  middle-aged.  So  that  as  in  a landscape 
we  have  hills  and  valleys,  pasture  lands  and  forests,  the 
mirror  of  the  lakes,  the  solemn  arch  of  the  sky,  and  the 
merriment  of  babbling  brooks;  so  we  have  in  “our 
library  ” philosophy  and  science,  and  history  and  biogra- 
phy, and  poetry  and  fiction,  so  classified  and  harmonized 
as  to  be  helpful,  uplifting,  and  delightful  to  all.  At  any 
rate,  such  is  the  ideal  which  our  library  will  at- 
tempt to  realize,  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  in  in- 
tellectual capacity  and  grasp,  in  intellectual  sympathy 
and  inspiration,  in  intellectual  activity  and  joy,  it  shall  be 
in  some  sense  like  — 

To  that  cathedral,  boundless  as  our  wonder, 

Whose  quenchless  lamps  the  sun  and  moon  supply ; 

Its  choir  the  winds  and  waves,  its  organ  thunder, 

Its  dome  the  sky.” 


VIEW  IN  TRUSTEES’  ROOM. 


PART  OF  REFERENCE  ROOM 


